PlayStation could unveil its upcoming subscription service as early as next week.
Bloomberg reports that PlayStation’s Xbox Game Pass competitor will get a proper unveiling soon. The site previously reported that PlayStation was working on a similar service under the codename “Spartacus.”
Sources say PlayStation will have a “splashy lineup of hit games,” and will officially merge PlayStation Plus with PlayStation Now, Sony’s cloud streaming service.
There are reportedly plans to offer multiple tiers of the service, with each tier offering more options to go along with the higher price point. The first tier will include the same benefits as PlayStation Plus including online play and free monthly games.
The more expensive tiers will throw in access to a gaming library similar to Game Pass, while a third, most expensive tier, will include PS1, PS2, PS3, and PSP games into this library. The most expensive tier will also include the ability to stream games and play extended demos.
PlayStation currently doesn’t offer backward compatibility with games older than the PS4 era, so including classics from the PS1 and PS2 era could be very enticing for owners.
One area where PlayStation is not following Game Pass is releasing new, first-party games on day one. According to sources games like God of War Ragnarok will not be available on the service right away.
Sony is clearly exploring new opportunities for this generation. Along with an increased presence in PC gaming, PlayStation recently acquired Haven Entertainment Studios and Bungie with plans to introduce more live-service games to go along with its single-player titles.
Adding a subscription service to compete with Xbox Game Pass will mean PlayStation is increasingly looking at broader industry trends for new opportunities.
Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.